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Otto
'''Otto' was one of the longest-serving members of the Black Company, from before the start of the series to just one year before Soldiers Live. He was rarely seen without his fellow Company member and eternal sidekick Hagop. Otto and Hagop were well known for surviving every fight despite commonly receiving at least one wound which would require the attention of Croaker the physician. Otto and Hagop were born in Rebosa, a city to the south of Beryl on the southern continent. ''The Black Company'' Otto survived the tumultuous, bloody events in Beryl during the Company's service to the Syndic there. He was one of the original Company soldiers who sailed aboard the imperial flagship, The Dark Wings, from Beryl, across the Sea of Torments, to Opal, in The Black Company. (Years later, in Shadow Games, he would be one of only 5 survivors from this group to make the return trip aboard the same vessel.) Otto played an important role in the assassination of Raker in Roses. He and Hagop were out drinking when Raker, for unknown reasons, blew his cover and stabbed Otto. Hagop ran back to the Company's apartment, where he told Croaker and Raven what happened. Those two proceeded to track Raker through the city and kill him. ''Shadows Linger'' Otto was selected to be part of the advance team of 25 Company men that were flown from the Barrowland, into the city of Juniper, by the new Taken via flying carpet. This team was led by Elmo and included the physician and Annalist Croaker; the veterans Pawnbroker, and Kingpin; and other trusted soldiers like Sharkey, Tickle, Crake, Walleye, and Stork. This elite group made the trip ahead of the rest of the Company, and were therefore spared the long march across the northern continent and through the frigid Wolander Mountains. He participated in many operations in Juniper and survived the violent Battle of Juniper. ''The White Rose'' Otto was among the 50 remaining Black Company brothers who joined the New White Rose Rebellion against the Lady's Empire. They had been living in the Hole out on the Plain of Fear for two years before the opening events of The White Rose. Otto, like everyone else in the Hole except Croaker, had no idea that the newcomer called "Ardath" was actually the Lady herself in disguise. He cornered her, and when she turned down his sexual advances, he tried to grab her. Before Croaker and the old sergeant Elmo could intervene, "Ardath" clobbered Otto "in a flurry of kicks and punches that set him down" and left him painfully bruised. He was berated harshly by Elmo for his behavior. Otto survived the Battle of the Barrowland along with Hagop. Despite Croaker's suggestion they disband, he chose to stay. It was Otto who nominated Croaker to become the next Captain. He was among the 6 remaining Company brothers who trekked south toward their fabled origin, Khatovar. ''Shadow Games'' At the Tower at Charm, Croaker was given the rank of general in the Imperial army, and was also appointed a legate. With his newfound powers, Croaker commissioned both Otto and Hagop as Imperial captains. Otto would be one of only five original Company survivors to sail back across the Sea of Torments aboard the ''The Dark Wings in Shadow Games. The others were Hagop, Croaker, One-Eye, and Goblin. Now, they were accompanied by relative newcomers: Murgen, the Lady herself, and four brand new recruits from Opal: Sparkle, Big Bucket, Red Rudy, and Candles. Otto and Hagop were placed in charge of forming the cavalry division of the first army raised in Taglios to fight the Shadowmasters' forces. During the second, final day of the Battle of Dejagore, their cavalry struck the enemy at an unimportant location. This was one of the several factors which unintentionally contributed to the Company's defeat. Books of Glittering Stone Otto participated in the Shadowmaster wars until the Company led the armies of Taglios to victory. Then, at the end of She Is the Darkness, he became one of the Captured, imprisoned within the cave of the ancients by Soulcatcher. After being freed, he died in Hsien of natural causes around the same time as Hagop, just one year before the opening events of Soldiers Live. Category:Characters Category:Black Company Category:New White Rose Rebellion Category:Imperials Category:Sergeants of the Black Company Category:The Captured